Police drop inquiry into 'assaults' on Hawking

A seven-month police investigation into claims that Prof Stephen Hawking had been the victim of a series of assaults in his home was dropped yesterday.

The investigation by Cambridgeshire Police - the second conducted in the past four years - came to an end after detectives decided that there was no evidence to warrant further action.

Police began the latest inquiry after complaints were made by staff employed to provide round-the-clock care for the 62-year-old Lucasian Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cambridge University.

Both Prof Hawking and Elaine, 53, his second wife, were interviewed by detectives this month. Previously, at least 12 current and former members of his care team gave statements to police.

Det Supt Michael Campbell, who led the inquiry, said: "My investigation into these allegations has been extremely thorough and detailed. I would emphasise that this inquiry has encompassed allegations from a previous investigation in 2000. The purpose of this has been to establish once and for all the position with regard to Prof Hawking.

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"I appreciate that these allegations have caused discomfort and distress to Prof and Mrs Hawking but the depth of my inquiry has provided me with a great deal of information.

"Based on what I have learnt, I can find no evidence to substantiate any assertion that anyone has perpetrated any criminal acts against Prof Hawking."

Police began the inquiry after claims were made by a third party last August that the disabled author of A Brief History of Time had been the victim of a string of assaults.

When news of the investigation reached the media earlier this year, Prof Hawking issued a statement denying all knowledge of the alleged attacks against him.

A fortnight ago, detectives interviewed the physicist at Papworth Hospital, where he is being treated at a specialist sleep disorder unit.

Last week, Mrs Hawking was interviewed at a police station in Bottisham just outside Cambridge. She spent about 50 minutes with detectives, and a force spokesman said at the time that the interview had been conducted with her "full agreement".

Mrs Hawking told reporters outside the couple's home in Cambridge that, if the news were true that the investigation had ended "then, of course, I'm delighted".

She added: "I am just off to see my husband now in Papworth - he's very much better."

For the latter stages of the inquiry, Prof Hawking, who suffers from motor neurone disease, has been in poor health. He was admitted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge just before Christmas suffering from pneumonia.

He was discharged on Feb 7 and briefly returned to work, only to be re-admitted a fortnight later with a recurrent chest infection.

Doctors later transferred him to the specialist unit at Papworth Hospital, where his condition last night was "stable".

Although detectives were prepared to wait until he was fully recovered, Prof Hawking asked to speak to them in hospital because he was anxious to bring an end to the investigation and the media speculation surrounding it.